Anything Goes: Keith Richards and Patti Hansen

The Richards clan at home on Parrot Cay. Counterclockwise from far left: Marlon and wife Lucie de la Falaise; Angela, Ava, and Ella, in a Marc Jacobs top; Theodora, in a Saint James striped shirt and Marc Jacobs pants; Ida, Orson, and Alexandra; Graham Whitney and son Adam; Patti Hansen (in an Etro shirt) and Keith.

“When you have the whole ensemble, the whole dynasty down there, the house is just shaking; everything’s going all the time,” says Theodora. She’s describing Richards-family gatherings on the North Caribbean island of Parrot Cay—a succession of sun-soaked beach days, fiercely competitive games of Mexican Train dominoes, and a cappella performances around the fire pit. Keith plays the benevolent patriarch, and Patti Hansen rules the roost. “You always have someone to hang out with, always have something to do,” says Theodora. “Your imagination just runs wild.”

The whole ensemble, currently a baker’s dozen assembled from Keith’s rambling family tree, congregated this Easter at the Turks and Caicos retreat Keith and Patti purchased ten years ago. Keith’s elder children, Marlon and Angela (their mother is Anita Pallenberg), brought their families over from the south coast of England. Marlon; his wife, model Lucie de la Falaise; and Ella Rose, sixteen, Orson, twelve, and Ida, three, had been to Parrot Cay many times before. “It’s a real vacation, where you can just be a family and not have to worry about anything else,” says Lucie, who last Easter invited friend Kate Moss and her daughter, Lila Grace, to join in on the fun.

For Angela’s eleven-month-old daughter, Ava, however, it was a first visit. “Except when she was in her mom’s tummy,” corrects Theodora. She and her sister Alexandra are the aunts extraordinaires of the seaside abode, leading the children in games of bocce and badminton and making music videos on the computer when bad weather looms.

A typical day begins around 7:00 a.m. with the group busy preparing breakfasts—avocado and tomato on toast for Ella, French toast for Orson and Theodora—everyone already in bathing suits and raring to head down to the beach. The dress code is relaxed, to the extreme. “My sister is topless all the time,” laments Alexandra. “She has the long hair to cover herself, but I’m like, ‘Come on, Theo, it’s just too early!’ ”

While Alexandra, Theodora, and Ella play tennis or badminton, Angela and her partner, Graham Whitney, may take the younger kids sailing on the Sunfish; Patti and Lucie might do yoga or get a massage. Keith likes to spend time with his grandchildren. Patti says he has “grown into” the babies but that “he really loves when he can chat with the kids and introduce them to books and reading.” As for game time, Patti wins at Scrabble, and Keith is the reigning dominoes champion—though Orson has been threatening his grandfather’s winning streak. “He’s been killing it lately!” says Alexandra.The resort that runs the island provides welcome amenities like baby-sitters and fresh Thai cuisine (although Patti packs bangers and mash for Keith and the kids: “Keith is not a Thai-food guy; he’s really a meat-and-potatoes guy”).

At the end of each day the group assembles around the fire pit, where Keith mans the flames, and, yes, marshmallows are roasted. “We go down there and play guitar and sing songs, and it sounds straight out of a musical, but it’s awesome,” says Theodora. “Everyone has different renditions of Everly Brothers songs, and I think that Alexandra might have sung us some AC/DC—a very interesting version of AC/DC.”

A blissful schedule, according to Theodora. “You lose the sense of time,” she says. “There’re no clocks, there’re no dates; it’s almost like a weird Groundhog Day situation, but a wonderful day to have over and over again.”